Rams AD Driscoll cashes it in for bank

Fort Collins - Colorado State hired local bank president Mark Driscoll 2 1/2 years ago to halt the tradition of short-term athletic directors bolting for higher-profile schools with bigger budgets.

Nevertheless, CSU once again is looking for a new athletic department leader.

Driscoll stunned the department Wednesday morning when he announced he is returning to his former position as president of First National Bank in Fort Collins.

"I didn't expect I would leave after two years," Driscoll said. "I didn't expect my interest in banking would continue. It's a career I know, it's a profession I enjoy, and I left a very good job at the bank."

Asked whether he had regrets about taking the CSU job, he said: "I hoped I could have sold more tickets and raised more money, (but) I'm very honored to have held the position. I don't regret it."

Driscoll had remained on the bank's board of directors.

"I miss working with the customers, growing the bank," Driscoll said. "It's a different environment."

Driscoll is the fourth athletic director to leave CSU since the fall of 1997, when Tom Jurich went to Louisville. A former CSU quarterback and longtime Rams booster, Driscoll officially steps down March 31. His tenure is longer than predecessor Jeff Hathaway, who bolted for Connecticut after less than two years on the job, but not as long as Jurich (1994-97) or Tim Weiser (1998-2001), who moved on to Kansas State.

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While those departures were rumored at the time, Driscoll's announcement was a bombshell. Men's basketball coach Dale Layer said he was "shocked" upon hearing the news.

"It's a sad day for the Rams," Layer said. "We'll miss Mark. He is a great person and a very valued friend. It's a step backward for us."

By leaving, Driscoll won't have to make a decision on his friend's future. A week ago Driscoll deferred any speculation on Layer's contract status until after the season. Layer has two years left on his contract, but his team is at the bottom of the Mountain West Conference after an 11-2 nonleague start.

Driscoll said Wednesday he would leave all postseason evaluations of coaches to his successor. He plans to resume life as a fan with center-court tickets he has held for more than 20 years.

The football staff, meanwhile, was in an offseason planning meeting when the news arrived.

"It's difficult to have so much uncertainty, but the programs will continue on," coach Sonny Lubick said. "It's like if a coach leaves, the programs run on a pretty solid base, especially here at CSU."

Lubick called Driscoll's departure "very surprising" but added: "I understand it was a great opportunity that was hard to pass up. He's a man of high integrity. Being an AD in this day and age, people don't realize what a difficult job it is."

CSU president Larry Penley, who made Driscoll one of his first hires when he took over in 2003, announced senior associate AD Christine Susemihl will serve as the interim AD if a successor isn't found before Driscoll leaves. Former college administrator Chuck Neinas of Boulder will serve as a consultant in the search process.

If anyone shouldn't be shocked by another MWC athletic director leaving, it's commissioner Craig Thompson. Yet he had no inkling Driscoll was leaving.

With the exception of Utah's Chris Hill, in his 18th season, every MWC school has turned over athletic directors at least once since the conference began in 1999.

CSU could go another untraditional route if former school president Al Yates would agree to take on the job, but he is heavily involved in politics. A list of candidates will only start to be put together in the next few days, but a prospect with MWC and in-state ties is San Diego State senior associate AD Steve Becvar, formerly at Air Force.

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